Sue Richardson

The friends and family of lifelong city resident Sue Richardson will celebrate her 60 joyful years on the planet by doing the things she loved: playing music and helping to restore an old building in the city.

It will feature musical performances by members of her family and area rockers. They are dedicating a stained glass window in Sue’s memory to Preservation Hall, a former church on Washington Street that is being made into a modern performance venue.

Richardson loved to paint, played the guitar, wrote songs and sung like an angel. She relentlessly supported area musicians and the renovation/preservation of the city’s West Side, her niece Sharon Bolton said in an interview.

“She could walk into any place and make a friend,” Bolton said.

Sue performed at several area clubs and bars, and was a favorite at the old Leprechaun Pub in Malta. She unexpectedly passed away this winter of a heart attack at the age of 60. Some 330 people attended her wake, Bolton said.

Sunday’s event will also benefit the hall. A silent auction will be held, and Gaffney’s will provide beverages, snacks, wine and beer.